Flight of the Soul Butterflies
by L.X.ie
Summary: In some cultures butterflies is someone's soul. I have to get the Soul Butterflies of humans and Pokémon alike before THEY do. I have no idea what they are really but all that I know is that they eat the Soul Butterflies before they can transcend to whatever plane of existence that's waiting for them, Heaven, Hell, Distortion World, whatever. Warning: Not for Arachnophobs
1. A Soul Butterfly

**A/N: WARNING: Not for people who have ****arachnophobia. Which includes me T_T**

Running through the a dark forest hunting for a freaking glowing butterfly at 10:36 P.M. at night. Doesn't get any better than this.

Naveen sensed another Soul Butterfly in the Ilex Forest. It's our job to get there before the bad guys do.

You see. I am an Armament. It's _my_ job to get the freshly departed soul from a human and/or Pokémon and go through a very intense ceremony so it goes to its rightful place. Whether it's Heaven, Hell, Distortion World, whatever. Instead of a Devourer's stomach.

Souls don't stay in the same place for long. They have wings, they're going to fly away, duh. So I am very glad I do not have to deal with a dead body… most of the time.

Going in deeper to the forest following my beautifly, Naveen, who is honing in on the Soul Butterfly. We take an abrupt left at this gi_gantic _tree and end up in part of the forest with more forest canopy so it just got a smidgen darker.

I would've had Naveen do a Morning Sun except up ahead I saw a bluish-green glowing speck.

Picking up the pace my beautifly and I ran after it. As we gained up on it Naveen flew behind me to guide my steps as I closed my eyes and focused on my aura. Feeling a slight tugging in my abdomen my weapon of choice materialized into my hand.

A very dangerous and deadly… butterfly net.

The frame is silver and the netting is a light blue, but don't let it's innocent appearance fool you. Ha, rhyme. It is very dangerous and can as easily turn into anything I so desire. But seriously, it's designed by _my_ _aura_ to capture these ghost-like creatures and is infused with psychic power to trap them. Which basically means for humans and shadows alike…

…you're going to be in a world of hurt.

Opening my eyes and gaining on the Soul Butterfly I swung back my arms and in an arc brought down the net over the elusive Butterfly. Trapping it.

It has about a foot long wingspan and 7 inches long. It's royal blue and edged with black with white dots. Surrounding it, it has that bluish-green aura that I seen so far away.

Muttering a time-old spell under my breath it shrinks down into a size of a cracker. Very carefully I sneak my hand under the rim and grasp one wing of the shrunken Soul. The wing that I didn't grab is fluttering for all that its worth, trying in vain to get away.

Putting the net down I take the little glass jar at my neck, it is on a long cord and is resting at my sternum, and basically shove the thing in there. It's basically already dead and it's the only way to get the squirming thing in there. So don't go all Insect Rights on me.

Sealing the lid I secure the Butterfly in there. It briefly glows a deep blue ensuring there are no prison escapes tonight.

_Hissss_ _Hisssss_

Grabbing my net and whirling around I brace myself in a defensive position.

In front of me are shadows. Devourers. In the shapes of spinarks they are just black and, the occasionally dark purple, shadows, the only color on them are their glowing poison green eyes and blood red mouth when they're ready to eat.

They feast on the Soul Butterflies but are just as likely to eat yours, it's just harder. They will latch onto you in swarms if they don't have a Soul Butterfly to eat and suck your soul in little tiny bits through your blood. It's a slow and painful process as their poison eats at your organs to make the gorging easier.

The closer you are to death the easier it is to eat your Soul Butterfly.

"Naveen! Morning Sun!" I ordered as I threw my other Pokéball. In a ray of white light my shiny light-pink butterfree, Aldora, came out with a cry.

Naveen focused on a bright ball of morning light in-between her little arms and illuminated the trees around us.

The thing with these Devourers are that, yes, they are shadow, they blend in, they can disappear and use them as portals but, they don't go away in the light.

It hurts them, but if they are strong or determined they can and will still attack you.

Their fuzzy black and purple bodies are outlined, a dark force around them sucks in the direct light on their bodies as a defense mechanism. Each harsh strand of hair stands out.

A few of the smaller ones scurry back to the shadows but three of the stronger looking ones remain.

Hissing at the light they snap their pincers at me and my Pokémon, issuing a non-verbal challenge.

All right. Swinging my net in a circle and my Pokémon in attack mode, ready to fight.

Challenge accepted.

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**A/N: Hey,guys if you're reading this story... you rock! And apparently when I said more updates I meant just more stories -.-' **

**This ****story is going to be created by yours truly and my best friend DragynMagic! I'm doing this chapter and she's doing the next.**

**She also did the cover art! Check her out!**

**We are going to update on Wednesdays**


	2. The Soul Box

"Naveen! Keep the Morning Sun going!" I swung my net around as one of the Devourers leaped at me. Since it was a magical net, I could catch these things in it, even if they were just shadows, hungry, soul-devouring shadows.

"Alright. Aldora, aim a Psybeam at the net!" A beam of colors shot from my Butterfree's mouth, directly hitting the shadow thing. It disappeared in a burst of purpley-black blobs.

"That's one down." I turned to fight the other two, and saw that they were both ganging up on Naveen.

Quietly, I gave my pink Butterfree instructions. She quietly flew off, and I knew she would be ready when I told her.

"Hang in there Naveen, just a few more seconds." She nodded her head to me, and I was so proud of her strength.

I saw movement and a familiar shape behind the Devourers.

"Aldora! Naveen! Use Silver Wind now!" Naveen let the Morning Sun fade, and then there was a bright silvery wind coming from two directions, trapping the Devourers. They couldn't take both attacks at once, and shortly, they disappeared just like the first one.

"That's my girls." I smiled at them both, and they gave little flutters of joy. Naveen flew over and landed on my head, and I held out my arm for Aldora to perch on. I closed my eyes and let my aura absorb the magical butterfly net again.

We started walking out of Ilex forest. Aldora put up a Safeguard, to provide a little light, since my light blue glowing eyes weren't bright enough to light up the surrounding area.

Even with the light from Safeguard, I still managed to trip over branches and rocks. Checking my watch, it was 11:16.

We soon made our way out of Ilex and back to Azalea Town.

There was always an empty house in each town, for people like me. The Armaments. At least one was in each town, sometimes two if we get lucky. At the moment I was alone in Azalea.

Walking into the house, I immediately went to the spell-protected box that I kept the Soul Butterflies in. Aldora and Naveen flew over to my bed, to give me some room.

I pulled the jar necklace over my head, and carefully put it in a small hole in the box, which was covered by small panel. The blue stopper on the bottle disappeared, and the small glowing butterfly flew weakly out. It's soul energy would be replenished, and it would grow back to it's normal size in a few days.

There were already three butterflies in the box, now four.

I returned the jar necklace to my neck. Standing, I walked to the bed where my Pokemon were sitting. "You girls were great tonight." They both made little Pokemon sounds of happiness.

"I think it's time we all got some rest. Return." Holding up their Pokéballs, the were pulled inside by purple beams.

Walking into the small bathroom to brush my teeth and everything, I looked into the mirror.

My eyes had stopped glowing, so you could see the silver irises surrounded by a blue ring. My black hair, with its one purple streak and one blue, was a bit of a mess. I pulled out the red bow on the back of my head, and brushed my hair.

I finished in the bathroom, changed, and laid down on one of the two beds in the house. Thinking about the dilemma I was facing, it was a while before I fell asleep.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**A**-**U**-**T**-**H**-**O**-**R**-**S**-**N**-**O**-**T**-**E**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

**A/N: L. here. So this is Dragyn's chapter. What do ya think? Can you tell the differences of our writing? :3**

**Her eyes glow blue when she has a Soul Butterfly in the jar because that's her aura working so the Butterfly won't escape.**

**Constructive criticism is welcomed. Flamers shall be torched by their own. Sweethearts shall ****receive a cookie :D (::)**


	3. A ritual

Getting up in the morning is always the hardest thing to do. I groggily get up and shuffle to the bathroom. My hair is a freaking tangela around my head. Combing and getting ready for the day ahead, getting groceries, doing the laundry, being alert for the demon soul eating spinarks, finding and catching big glowing butterflies with a magical butterfly net. You know, the norm.

Digging around on the borrowed desk I found my chalk. It's worn down to the nub, about an inch high, and made by Crayola.

Going to the middle of the wooden floor, which is always clear for these situations, I drew a very large star with 7 points, blowing away the light pink dust, I was finished.

It's terrible looking. The points are all different sizes, the lines aren't straight, and I miscalculated with the space so the last leg of the star is really weird. But it'll get the job done.

I heard a few trills. Looking up I saw Naveen and Aldora shaking their heads pitifully. "Oh like you can do any better."

Crying out with a hint of an attitude Naveen used String Shot to make a perfect little 7-point star on the ground.

Wiping the star away I muttered, "show off." Looking back up at them I said. "Go make yourselves useful and find an ember and the moon shard." I shooed them away and they took off but not before Aldora stuck her tongue out at me.

Gathering the rest of the ingredients, a battery, a glass of water, an ice cube from the freezer, a leaf from outside, and a jar to hold psychic energy when they get back. Picking up the Soul Box I put it in the middle of my pitiful star and placed the materials on each end of the star.

Aldora came back holding an ember with Psychic and placed it on a point and Naveen dropped the moon shard on the remaining one.

"Careful!" She just used her proboscis to tickle my nose. Blowing a Razz Berry at her I picked up the glass jar. "Fill 'er up."

Both Aldora and Naveen's eyes glowed a light blue of psychic energy. Concentrating the attack into something physical the light poured into the jar like liquid. A quarter of the way full they stopped, it's very exhausting to them. Naveen rested on my head and Aldora on my shoulder.

Sealing the lid I swished it around. It now looked like glowing, blue radioactive water. The psychic energy is only good for a short time before it loses it and becomes solid, like a slushy. Except you should not eat it. At _all_.

"Signaveris," I intoned. The poorly made star glowed and a shimmering veil grew where the chalk lines were, surrounding me. Making the air look like the heat of the sun baking the atmosphere. I opened the mahogany panel of the Box and let the four butterflies fly out.

The Butterflies were all different sizes depending on how old they were. The recent one, the emperor was still small. Two others were slightly larger; one was a mourning cloak, burgundy wings followed by a strip of black dotted white and the scalloped edges trimmed with a pale yellow. The other was called a cabbage white; all of it was the one monogamous color of a melon white. The biggest was a cloudless sulphur; a mustered yellow with tanned spots randomly painted on the wings.

Once they were all flapping about, stretching their wings the cabbage white tried to escape and flew into the veil. It was shocked and dropped to the ground with a thin trail of smoke following it. My eyes followed its descent to see it join its brethren.

I shook my head. Every time at least one of them does that. They never learn. "Exeatis hinc." The tension of the spell was near the precipice; I felt the pressure of the enchantment on my body trying to force me to leave this world, but not enough to make me to. On the tiny fragile bodies of the Soul Butterflies though, it's enough to force them to whatever place they deserve.

One by one each butterfly popped. The magical density forcing them from this dimension is squeezing them out of existance. No trace of them left behind, no magical dust residue, just poof. They're there one minute gone the next.

The last to go is usually the biggest one, the cloudless sulphur, and poof. Gone.

"Aperio." The shimmering veil came down, leaving behind a clear unwavering layer of oxygen and nitrogen.

Nighttime has fallen and it's time to go out and hunt for Soul Butterflies.

People die during the day of course and some Armaments catch them during the day but they have to be covert. You can't just be swinging a butterfly net at air. Unless you want to be _that_ person.

But when it's day they are pretty much safe until it gets dark out, not just night, even when it's cloudy you have to watch out for them.

People can train themselves to see Soul Butterflies, it's just a matter of seeing with your seventh chakra, Armaments are born with the ability to see them from birth.

So, unless someone is very spiritual or meditates a lot they're not going to see the glowing insects.

Besides it's probably for the best. They won't be trained and if they follow the Butterfly alone they are going to be eaten.

They don't care if civilians are apart of this or not, even by accident. When they are hungry they will eat the poor fool. Unknowing people won't even know what is happening, they'll be caught off guard, it happens like _that_. In an instant.

They hunt in groups, in the dark, and if they're hungry and find a person by themselves they will attack.

The unsuspecting person won't even have time to react before they're on them injecting poison.

The poison shuts down organs and liquidizes them, the soul is saturated throughout the body, not in a certain place, and the Devourers suck until the lifeless husk looks like a deflated water balloon. Or a dried out persim berry.

Walking outside in a grey T-shirt, jeans, and favorite jacket that's cut in half with a bunch of pockets to store stuff I casually walk about with Naveen on my head.

Keeping an eye out for Devourers I stroll down the sidewalk. Up ahead of me I saw a boy around my age, maybe a little older, obviously a bug catcher with a plain standard butterfly net he has in his hands. It was too dark to see any real features.

He was walking the border to Ilex Forest and kept glancing into the undergrowth. With my staravia eyes I saw the barest shift in the shadows behind him.

Telling Naveen to ready her Psychic attack I sprinted to the idiot loner that's broadcasting himself as an all-you-can-eat buffet. The kid should've stayed home on Pinsirtrest.

**A/N: Dragyn is on a car trip so the second part might come later in the week.**


	4. Whaa?

I dived at the idiot and pushed him to the ground just as one of the shadows leapt at him.

"Naveen, now!" The shadow that had landed next to us was squished by psychic energy. I summoned my butterfly net while I was getting off the guy. Just as it was materializing in my hand, I swung my arm around and smacked a shadow in the face with it.

"Naveen, lift as many into the air as you can with Psychic." She lifted nine into the air, straining to keep them there. "Try to keep them close together. Aldora, use Poison Powder and Silver Wind." Spots of purple floated on the silvery wind towards the shadows. It destroyed some immediately, but the stronger ones fell to the ground when Naveen couldn't hold them anymore.

"The poison will take care of them. Aldora, use Whirlwind to gather the rest of them." As she did, I dug an Oran out of my pocket and threw it to Naveen. After attempting to shove the whole thing into her mouth and finding it wouldn't work, she took small bites and soon looked more energetic.

"Feel better now?" She gave a flutter and a little trill. "Good. Now, use Gust on these things and finish them." Powerful gusts of wind blew from her delicate little wings. The Devourers didn't last long, since they were still being damaged by the Whirlwind.

The poisoned ones were gone also. "Naveen, Aldora, check and make sure there aren't anymore hiding around. If there are, just attack them. I'm going to see what this idiot was thinking."

I turned and walked towards the guy. He had rolled over and was leaning back on his hands, his legs stretched out in front of him. He had the blackest hair I've ever seen, and his eyes were so dark I couldn't tell if they were black or brown. The lack of light didn't help much. His nose was slightly crooked, as if it were broken a time or two. He had a faint scar near one of his eyes, too.

"You killed them." He had a look of amazement on his face. After staring at where some of them had disappeared, he finally looked up at me. "Who are you?"

"Who I am is none of your business. What you're doing out so late, however, is my business. What kind of idiot thinks they're going to go bug catching in the middle of the night? Have you seen anyone else going outside this late?" He shook his head. "That's because they have the sense to know bad things come out at night. They may not know what these things are, but they know they are bad."

He stood up, finally. "Your net landed over there." I pointed toward it with a flashlight I'd pulled out. He picked it up and looked at it.

"I must say, I didn't expect to see one of you here." His tone had changed from clueless teenage boy to one of serious with a hint of surprise. "Especially not you, Vanessa Alexis Alma." He turned to face me.

Okay, officially weirded out here. How did he know my name?

"You're probably wondering who I am." He slowly walked towards me. "I could be anybody, real-urgh!"

I punched him in the face.

He stumbled back, holding his nose while it gushed blood. I kicked his legs out from under him, and he landed on his back with a groan. Pinning him down, I grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Who are you and how do you know who I am?"

He opened his eyes, and I gasped. Instead of the black or brown or whatever they were before, his eyes were radioactive green. The same green as the eyes of the Devourers.

"Let's just say that I'm someone you should remember. As for how I know who you are, I'll keep that my little secret." He gave a creepy smile, and then started turning into purpley-black blobs that disappeared into the ground.

I sat on the ground, stunned. Devourers that look like humans? Or was he even a Devourer?

Aldora and Naveen flew to me. They were searching the whole time that went on. They landed on the ground in front of me, worried looks on their cute faces.

Shaking my head, thoughts finally returned to my brain. "Did you find any others?" They both shook their heads. "Okay. Naveen, do you sense any souls nearby?" She paused for a moment, then shook her little head again.

"Alright. Let's just go back then."


	5. Just My Luck

"Alright. Let's just go back then."

"Oh my Mew!" A masculine voice said behind me. "Did you see that!?"

Whirling around I came face to face with a trainer. With a look of shock and wonderment plastered onto his expression he started gesturing to the scene before him.

"The spinarks, that kid, YOU! Did you see yourself?! No of course you didn't you can't see yourself. That would be stupid. But still! Just! You were all like –woosh! Bam! Pshhwooo! – That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life! And what's with your Pokémon? That was just— just— oh my Mew!"

Thoughts were running through my head. What is he doing at this time at night? People here are smart enough and know enough vague rumors to stay indoors, he has to be a tourist. How am I going to keep his mouth shut? What am I going to do? How did he get here? When did he get here? Why is it that he's acting like an excited lilipup? Why won't he stop talking?

As I was thinking he was still going on and on sputtering out his rambling thoughts. Gesturing with his hands like he didn't know what to do with them.

I didn't know what I did. My body just reacted to a stressful situation. The next thing I knew was that he was knocked out and sleeping at my feet. He had a pidgey egg on the side of his head where I supposedly hit him with my flashlight.

I stared down at him, not enlightening his features because then I would see him and then I would have a responsibility to take care of him. Or at least psychologically I will feel guilty enough to do that.

I bit my lip, debating. It was like the devil and angel on my shoulders.

Take care of him. Leave him there. Bring him to where he's staying. Someone will find him in the morning. Maybe he won't remember you and give you a reward for 'finding' him. Just take something and make it look like a mugging.

Okay, okay the last two were more of the devil's influence. But not a bad idea.

I shrugged, made an, 'eh' sound, and started walking off. Someone'll find him in the morning.

Aladora and Naveen flew in my path when I was a couple feet away from the prone body. Their little faces screwed up with anger. Stubbornly they stayed in front of me when I tried to go around them.

I threw up my hands. "Oh come on!" I motioned towards the boy. "I don't even know where he's staying. And I'm not rifling through his pockets."

They twittered little sounds of disapproval at me. Looking at each other then looking at me, speaking to each other about me right in front of me.

I set my hands on my hips. "Y'know, it's rude to speak about someone when they're standing right in front of you." I started to tap my foot.

Instead of looking chastised they glared at me. They looked to the boy, then to me, and back again. Silently signaling me to put him wherever he belongs.

I covered my face with my hands and sighed into them. "Fine. Fine. You win. We'll take him to the Pokémon Center."

As I trudged over to him I heard my Pokémon make sounds of victory and I swear I heard a high-five.

I picked him up by the armpits and started to drag him to the 'Center, my little friends following. They weren't doing anything so I told them to use Psychic to help me carry him. Lazy buggers.

Carrying him through the automated doors we went to the counter to ring the bell for Nurse Joy.

No one was in the lobby, probably all in bed sleeping like sane people, not carry a 400-ton (I'm exaggerating but I'm crabby people, bear with me) idiot who was out roaming places that did not need to be roamed.

Nurse Joy walked out of the back rubbing her eye and yawning, her pink hair disheveled, nurse's hat at a jaunty angle, and wearing light pink jammies with chanseys on them with skitty slippers.

When her vision focused on us she sprung into action. Asking me where I found him, what happened, do I know him, etc. I told Nurse Joy that I didn't know him and I just found him on the street and that I thought that he got mugged.

He, now, was in the back on a hospital bed with a white bandage around his head.

Nurse Joy turned to me. "Would you like to stay?" I shook my head no and was about to walk out when she continued. "It's very dangerous out there. But you know that, don't you?" I stopped in the doorway, my eyes as big as marbles. When I schooled my expression I turned around, head cocked questionably.

She boldly looked back. "Well who else is besides an ignorant is going to be out at this time of night?" She paused for dramatic effect. "Someone who knows. Be careful and good luck." She said with a gentle smile.

Kinda freaked out, as soon as I was out of that building I sprinted to the Armament building. Seriously hoping there would be no more strange and or idiot boys or cryptic Joys tonight. With my luck tonight maybe there will be a zombie apocalypse.

As I burrowed tunnels under my covers, with my girls snuggled in besides me, I started the rejuvenation process of sleep.


	6. Bad News

The sound of a buzzing alarm clock woke me. Eyes still closed, I untangled a hand from my blanket and managed to hit a button on the clock that stopped the buzzing. Rolling over, I felt something slightly fuzzy tickle my forehead. Cracking an eye open, I saw part of a black antenna. Aldora was lying on my right, against the wall. Lifting my head, I saw Naveen sitting on the table in the kitchen area.

I plopped my head back down on my pillow and it made a *poof* sound. Ready to sleep for a little longer, I closed my eyes, but the buzzer alarm went off again.

"Don't want to get up." Mumbling, I sat up and turned the alarm off. My movement woke Aldora, and I accidently threw my blankets on top of her. She shook them off and tittered at me, then flew over and sat with Naveen on the table. "Good morning to you too." Muttering to myself as always, since there were no people around to talk to. I stumbled towards the bathroom, ready to do my morning routine.

Walking out of the bathroom with neat hair, I was more awake after splashing my face with ice-cold water. Aldora and Naveen had gotten out berries and bread out for me to make my breakfast. "Thanks, girls." I got some bowls out and gave them some Pokemon food.

After eating a breakfast of toast and berries, I dressed and got ready to do some stuff. I needed more chalk for doing the ritual, more batteries, and I wanted some Poffins as treats for my girls, so I needed ingredients.

Walking outside, the bright morning sun temporarily blinded me. I left Aldora and Naveen inside, since I wouldn't be gone long. After the sun-spots faded from my vision, I started walking towards the PokeMart. Inside, I grabbed some purple chalk and some batteries. Walking over to the baking stuff, I was looking for a recipe for poffins when I heard pounding on the windows. Naveen and Aldora were both outside, fluttering franticly and trying to get my attention.

I didn't pause. I dropped my stuff and ran out the door, and they met me there. "What's wrong Naveen?" In response, she turned and took off, and I ran after her. She was leading me into Ilex Forest, back to the spot where we found the soul butterfly a couple of days ago. Through the trees, I could make out some black shadows on the ground. They were in a circle, slowly moving toward a glowing orange monarch butterfly.

_Crap_. Devourers hardly ever come out during the day. And a monarch soul butterfly? I've never even heard of one of those before, much less seen one. No time to think about it, though. I focused my aura and summoned my butterfly net, ready to kick some shadowy butt.

"Aldora, use Whirlwind to gather a bunch of them. Naveen, blow a Silver Wind into the Whirlwind." As they were doing that, I saw an oppurtunity to get the butterfly. I was running up to it and was about to swing it into my net, when it fluttered up, shrunk on its own, and flew inside my bottle necklace. I stood there blinking, amazed. A cooperative soul butterfly?

As I stood there in my surprise, two Devourers lept onto my back and knocked me to the ground. Snapping back into focus, I rolled over and knocked them off, ready to squish them. I saw that Naveen and Aldora had managed to kill a few, and the rest were starting to skitter back toward the forest. I looked towards the two that had jumped me, and they were backing away and hissing. Once they were out of reach, they turned and ran.

"Okay, today has turned officially weird. I need some answers." I turned and started walking toward the edge of the forest, Aldora and Naveen following me.

Arriving at the Armament lodge, I picked up the phone and dialed a number. I was calling another Armament, Jane, an even more senior Armament than me.

"Hello?" The voice of a middle-aged woman answered on the other end, and I could hear talking in the background.

"Jane, it's Vanessa. I ran into an strange situation just a little while ago. I found some Devourers in Ilex Forest, in the daytime." I sat on a chair in the kitchen.

"Oh, that's uncommon, but not that strange." She didn't seem that concerned. I heard someone laugh in the background. She must have had the phone on speaker.

"Yeah, but I found something else too." I pulled off my jar necklace, looking at the minimized monarch inside. "I found them surrounding a monarch soul butterfly. I've never seen one like this before." At the mention of the butterfly, everything on her end went silent. If it weren't for the slight static, I'd have thought she hung up.

"You... You found a monarch?" Her voice turned shaky, and I heard someone cry out in the background.

"Yeah. What is it? Why have I never seen one like this before?" I was even more concerned now. The butterfly was just sitting calmly in the jar, and Naveen and Aldora were sitting on the table in front of me.

"No. Oh no. This is not good." Her voice was still shaky, and she hadn't answered my question.

"Jane. Tell me why it's different." I spoke slowly and calmly, hiding my growing anxiety.

"Oh Vanessa. It's different because... I- It's the soul of-" I could hear her breath catch, and the next part was so quiet I almost didn't hear it.

"It's the soul of an Armament."


	7. Missing Something

I didn't get it. We have to die too so shouldn't we have Soul Butterflies?

"I don't get it."

I heard her sigh. "Sweetie, when an Armament dies…" She was using the same tone when she explained the beautiflies and the beedrills. And that was _not_ a fun conversation. "When an Armament dies peacefully, their soul automatically knows where to go and just goes there. Only when an Armament dies violently or was murdered and the death is related to, ahem, 'dark forces' we'll call them, then they are a monarch Soul Butterfly."

"So you're saying that when dying tragically they forget what to do and need help from us. And if these 'dark forces' you're trying to sugarcoat are the Devourers, how is that possible when they would eat them?"

"Well they could have been bitten but escaped and the poison would kill them before they get help."

I paused before answering. "True." Should I tell her of the Devourer boy? Would they even believe me? _I'm _not sure if I believe me. What he could be would be impossible right?

"Is that all? I _kinda_ have to go and murder shadowy demons in a bloody gorey death with a butterfly net."

"Uh, sure. Talk to you later."

I hung up the phone before she could say goodbye.

I went over to the magical woohoo box and deposited the monarch Butterfly into it.

Jane is very motherly, even though she can't be that much older than me. I don't know her exact age, I don't think anyone knows. She can act very maternal at times but others she is like a freaking Amazon warrior princess and will debowel you if you stand in her way.

She kinda scares me a bit.

I stretch my arms to the sky, feeling the muscles elongate and bones crack. I dropped them like ten pound weights and shake my hands to get feeling back in.

I've been here a few days and I would say it's about time to take off. I don't want to be around if that shadow guy knows to find me here. I also don't want to wait for that guy I had to kock out to come find me and play twenty questions.

I gather my meager supplies in my bag. Toothbrush and paste? Check. Hairbrush? Check. Food? Check. Bottled water? Check. Money? Check. Chalk, Butterfly, and Magic box? Triple check. I think I'm good. But I have the stranges feeling that I'm missing something. I just can't think of it.

Eh, if it was important I would have remembered.

I walked to the fork in the road. To the left is Goldenrod City and the right is Violet City.

Which way, which way.

I turned my attention to my girls, seeing them hovering above me curious about my decision.

"Which way do you guys think we should go?"

Naveen directed herself towards the direction of Goldenrod and Aladora fluttered to Violet.

I sighed. "That's not helping."

The flew more insistantly toward their perferred city. They glared at each other, angry that the other would oppose them.

"Well we can't go both ways. I can't split myself into two, even though that would be cool, I can't." I said with my hands on my hips.

Aldora started sassing Naveen. Naveen started sassing back. They started to have an argument for which direction we'll go.

I cupped my hand around my ear, it felt like there's either water in it or it popped.

Seeing them argue was not common. They grew up as sisters together from little a caterpie and wurpmle. They have their spats but usually they agree with each other.

To put a stop on their bickering I decided to just put them in their Pokéballs and use eeny-meany-miney-moe.

I moved my hand to my belt where I store their portable homes but it was empty.

I froze and my eyes widened. My hand slapped itself to my mouth.

"I forgot your Pokéballs!"


End file.
